Q&A

I’ve wanted to do a Q&A for so long because basically I’m a nosy cow and love reading other peoples but I’ve ashamedly had this sat in my drafts since August with all the intentions of getting round to do it but never actually getting there. But I have finally stolen a precious minute whilst the toddler nap so here we go . . .

How did you and Danny meet?

We meet in second year of college in our English class. We were both 18 and I’d love to say it was love at first sight, but it was more like a slow burning fire. Once I got to know him and his infectious personality I was obsessed. It was that teenage kind of love where you check your phone every 2 minutes to see if they’ve text and hope you bump into them down every corridor. We somehow got ourselves the nickname of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ from our English teacher as we would always turn up late to class holding hands. I can’t believe in March will have been together for TEN YEARS.

Would you ever do Instagram/Blogging full time?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back and forth over this question but one thing that stays consistent is I always come back to the same answer and that answer is no. I never set out to be a ‘blogger’ it just kind of happened. I never actively tried to ‘grow my following’ it just happened. And therefore everything that has come out of Instagram and blogging has always been a lovely bonus that I am extremely grateful for. There are so many amazing things which I love and enjoy when it comes to blogging and Instagram but the reason I think I still love it as much as I do is because it’s still my hobby and there’s a couple of main reasons why I wouldn’t want to do it full time. No.1 – I would be the worst person to stay at home and work for myself on my own. No.2 – The stress of not knowing how much money you will make each month would probably make me a nervous wreck. I like a stable salary, it’s my little safety net. No.3 – I’m one of those people that rarely takes risks and okay it might be a bit boring, but I like it that way! So for that reason alone I live with the idea that ‘it won’t last forever’ and yes social media may just get bigger and bigger but I’m not prepared to have all my eggs in one basket. No.4 – I actually quite like my job, the people I work with and of course the NHS. No.5 – I want to be able to just walk away from it all as and when I please.

What are your favourite things about Evie’s personality?

My god I don’t want to be all ‘braggy’ Mum but the list is endless! She’s hysterical, kind, loving, affectionate, savvy but I think my favourite thing about her is her warmth and friendliness, she is the opposite of shy and I love it!

How old were you when you had Evie & were you prepared e.g. house, mortgage?

I was 25 when I had Evie and and in a word NO. We always planned on buying a house after we got married and renovating it however as getting pregnant was a huge but lovely surprise we were in a bit more of a rush than we thought we would be. We moved into our house when Evie was 6 weeks old and although it’s not how we planned it it was the most amazing 6 weeks living at home with my Mum & Dad in that newborn bubble!

Gods honest truth . . How is motherhood really!?

I do hate to be so cringe but honestly it’s AMAZING. Yes it can be hard work, it goes without saying but sometimes I feel like everyone is so fixated on portraying the ‘realities’ that we forget to shout about the good times, the amazing times, the wouldn’t change it for anything times.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

New house. Another baby. Nearly qualified accountant.

What’s your favoruite places to shop?

ASOS. No more questions your honour.

How did you get so many followers?

I honestly have no idea!? I did Slimming World for 3ish years during the run up to my wedding and a little bit after and that was why I started my Instagram page. Alongside that I documented the run up to my wedding, losing nearly 3 stone, my pregnancy, buying our first house and now being a Mum. I honestly couldn’t tell you how to gain more followers as it was never something I set out to ‘do’. That’s why I think I enjoy it as much as I do (most of the time) as there is no pressure and it’s just a hobby of mine.

How do you balance everything?

I’m really lucky and I work 3 days a week and I’ll be honest on the those days I’m a bit of a hot mess. So I use my Thursday and Friday to spend time with Evie but also get everything straight again because it does get on top of me. I spend 12 hours out of the house and on top of the nursery drop off and pick up and making dinner and putting Evie to bed there’s no chance I’m doing any housework or general life admin once I’ve sat down! All my Instagram and blogging bits I squeeze in on weekends or evenings or nap time!

When you & Lil were pregnant at the same time how did you tell each other? Who was pregnant 1st?

I told Lil over WhatsApp because she was already pregnant! I hadn’t even told my Mum it Dad yet but I was sat in work a couple of hours after I’d take the test and I text her saying OH MY GOD I THINK I’M PREGNANT. It really was so so special being pregnant together and now having girls the same age!

What’s your favourite place to shop for Evie?

I love H&M or Next, I use to really love Tesco but since she’s grown out of the baby clothes I’m not as much of fan! Everything seems to be sequinned or have characters on it!?

Do you see yourself having more children?

100% we’d love to! We’re in a really lovely place at the moment and I just feel like we will know when we’re ready and when the time is right.

How do you deal with temper tantrums?

Mainly distraction, Evie went through a phase just before her 2nd birthday when the tantrums were quite bad a I thought oh no this is it we’ve hit the terrible twos already! But it was a phase thank god and she really doesn’t tantrum all that much now, it’s just a case of being strict with her and teaching her no and that she can’t do or have everything she wants! OH THE JOY.

What is your dream holiday?

God. This is a hard one! Probably the Maldives! Isn’t that everyone’s dream!?

What was the hardest thing about having a newborn?

The loneliness 100%! You can get out and go to as many baby groups as you want but if you don’t click with the people you meet then it can be difficult. Some days I was even going to 2 baby groups a day, had a lovely time there, chatted to some other Mums, came home and was still lonely, it was just a huge transition for me!

What do you work as? And what would your dream job be?

I work in the NHS as an assistant accountant but I think my dream job would be to own a children’s clothing boutique!

Did you know you were having a girl when you were pregnant with Evie?

I’d always said if I ever got pregnant I’d have a surprise. Always. And then once I was actually pregnant I had this overwhelming urge that I had to know the gender. I would have weird and crazy dreams about finding out the sex and it constantly played on my mind so we did find out at our 20 week scan we were having a girl even though I was convinced we were having a boy!

What do you struggle with most with Instagram/blogging?

The negativity, the judgement and the ‘trolls’. It’s hard, like really fucking hard to read horrible things about yourself, which is why I stay away from it! I totally get it, not everyone can like you and if you ‘put yourself out there’ you’re open to judgement and criticism but as long as it’s not shoved under my nose I just try to switch off from it and ignore it. People might think they have an opinion of you but it’s based on a very small ‘insight’ into your life and you just need to remember that!

What bedtime routine do you have for Evie?

Since she moved into a bed from a cot we have a pretty good routine going! We will go upstairs for a bath and she can spend anything between 10 mins to 40 mins in the bath depending on how she feels, then we go into our room and chill out maybe watch the end of In The Night Garden, then we brush our teeth* together (I pretend to do it whilst she does hers*) and then we go into her room she picks a book from her shelf and we read her a bedtime story and 99% of the time she will go straight to sleep!

Do you have a quote/saying you live by?

I’m really not a quote kind of girl but there is one that’s always stuck with me for many reasons and it’s a quote from John Lennon;

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”